


Chemistry Unplugged

by thewriter



Category: Demi Lovato (Musician), X Factor (US) RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-07 20:52:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12240420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewriter/pseuds/thewriter
Summary: A series of vignettes about Demi's relationship with Simon Cowell.





	1. Blue Hair, Don't Care

"DEMI!"

Simon Cowell's voice echoed through the long hallway of the venue, reaching the ears of the three women in the green room who looked towards the sound.  
Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio looked at Demi Lovato who was lying on the divan with her eyes closed as a hairstylist teased her hair and a manicurist buffed and painted her nails. The youngest ex-factor judge looked unperturbed.

"Demetria what did you do?" Kelly asked in mock sternness her hands on her hips a frown crossing her features.

Demi looked up at her colleagues through long mascara smeared lashes before closing her eyes again.

"Nothing…" She replied softly in a voice that belied the potential trouble she could be in, "slow morning, I was just shaking things up a bit."

"Shake up how?" Paulina asked warily.

Before Demi could answer however, Simon Cowell appeared in the doorway and one looking at him would have mistook him for a bull with his flared nostrils and red face, one would fully expect there to be steam coming out of his ears. His face was pinched with disapproval.

Kelly and Paulina would've been able to take this quite seriously and get an answer out of Simon if it hadn't been for the state of his hair.

"Look at this! I can't go on camera like this!" Simon pointed to his hair, which instead of being it's normal silvery gray was streaked with bright blue.  
Against their better judgment Kelly and Paulina burst out laughing and it was only then they notice the anxious hairstylist who looked like she would be perfectly happy disappearing altogether.

"Trying a new color Simon?" Kelly asked even though she was proving unsuccessful at her attempt to keep a straight face.

"It's not hair dye," Simon finally managed tightly, "it's spray paint!"

At this admission Kelly and Paulina burst out laughing again, but Simon wasn't done yet and he stormed over to the divan glaring down at Demi who now had opened her eyes and had been silently watching the entire exchange.

"What the bloody hell did you do!"

Demi smirked.

"Just a little fun." Demi said lightly.

"Well I think I've had about as much "fun" as I can stand. I'll see you at the judges' table." 

Without another word Simon stormed out of the room and Demi knew he was going to his dressing room to sulk-if only temporarily, but she was sure she could get a smile out of him before the end of the auditions today.

With her hair and nails finished Demi sat up.

"You like messing with him don't you?" Paulina asked, her amusement coming through in her smooth, warm, accent.

Demi smiled.

"Of course I do, I'll probably pay for it later though."

"You're pushing a girl," Kelly said shaking her head, "anybody else and Simon would have kicked their ass out the door in five minutes."

"You're lucky Simon likes you so much, or he would've tossed you out on that cute little booty of yours."

Another satisfied smirk settled over Demi's lips.

"Don't start Paulina, you know it's just adding to the rumors… I would never date Simon even if I could, and I mean NEVER!"

Whatever you say love." Paulina said lightly, "I know what I see." Demi just barely caught her smirk as she walked away.

She was about to leave the green room and go find Simon when her phone rang, sounding loud from where it was set on one of the vanities.

She recognized her sister's number and picked up immediately.

"Hey Dallas, what's up?" Demi asked her tone light, after the prank she had pulled on Simon she was still in a ridiculously good mood.

"Are you sitting down?" Her older sister interrupted.

Unconsciously, Demi sank down into one of the chairs at the vacated vanities.

"Yeah, I am now, what's going on?" Demi asked, she was beginning to feel worried.

"Demi, I just got off the phone with mom, it's dad…"


	2. Consoled

For the last three days Demi had been in a fog. The sadness, shock, and confusion over her father's death (her real father) still weighed heavily on her mind. She had taken a few days off work to be with her family and friends and she needed time too, it was all she could do when the old Demi would have started cutting and crying in a way that suggested she would never stop. However, the person Demi was now was stronger than that, she had people she could lean on and people that respected her privacy when they knew when she needed to take a step back.

Her fingers ran over the hodgepodge of tattoos on her arms and wrists, birds, a cross, the word "faith" above her elbow and the imprint of a pair of lips. Last but not least were the words "stay strong" the tattoos she had gotten a few weeks after getting out of treatment, a reminder to herself she could handle things, even though she was far from being what people would call "fixed". Demi ran her fingers over the words, sighed, and squared her shoulders, even though her manager was cautious Demi was ready to go back to work.

The minute Demi walked into the green room she was enveloped in an embrace while Paulina stroked her hair and Kelly wrapped her arms around her, for a few minutes they just stood there, letting her cry or do whatever she wanted to do.

"You hanging in there?" Kelly asked.

Demi nodded, then replied.

"I'm hanging in there, it's a lot to take in, but I can manage." For the first time in a long time Demi believe what she said. She wasn't perfect and she knew her first instinct would be to reach for a razor, or at least it used to be, but now she would speak up, she had people willing to stand by her whatever the circumstances… She could get through this.  
Simon was absent from the green room most of the morning and Demi only saw him just as they were entering the venue as the auditions began. As Kelly and Paulina greeted the audience Simon slid an arm around her shoulders.

"You okay?" He asked in a low voice.

Demi nodded and as if to contradict her, her body swayed slightly, Simon's hand automatically coming around her waist and she leaned into him, the noise of the crowd suddenly seem to be too much.

The auditions passed in a blur and it was only at a commercial break Demi and Simon were able to speak again. Today they were sitting next to each other, but they weren't saying much of anything, even their normal lighthearted banter was noticeably absent.

"You holding up okay?" Simon asked again.

Demi nodded.

"I'll be… fine… eventually."

She felt Simon's arm around her again and she worked feverishly stacking and re-stacking the papers in front of her. Finally Simon's hand came down on top of hers quietly stopping her erratic movements. Everything that followed seemed to happen in slow motion they both stood at the same time the chairs pushing back and Simon pulled her into his arms, her face nestled somewhere in his shoulder, he smelled like a combination of cigarettes and some cologne she couldn't identify, something, under normal circumstances she wouldn't of allowed herself to notice. Demi let out a ragged sigh trying to swallow around the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. Simon drove her crazy most the time, but then he had Demi moments when he could be really sweet… but she knew he truly did care about her.

"I'm sorry." Simon murmured, "truly sorry."

He rubbed her back slowly his thumb going back and forth over one particular spot near the belt she was wearing. Demi's hands automatically came up around the backs of his shoulders, still surprisingly muscular for someone his age, but the observation was fleeting like many of the thoughts that had been cycling through her head over the past few days.

Finally she pulled back and they just looked at each other to an observer it was like a lover's embrace, but it was just a look. Looks Paulina insisted Demi and Simon gave each other way too often, but they weren't romantic, Demi insisted, no way!

"Thank you." Demi murmured as she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

A fleeting smile lifted a corner of Simon's mouth.

"Anytime brat." Simon said softly, as he gave her another squeeze


	3. Dance Party

The cloud of somberness that had followed her father's passing had lifted in the past few weeks, and Demi even though she had continued to work felt like she could function again and move forward instead of constantly looking behind her for one reason or another.

They were coming down to the last few shows and the last guy they put through was quite the character. He had auditioned for Simon years ago on Idol, but had failed to get through even the basic audition. His name was Keith and he came on stage dressed in a tie-dye costume that immediately screamed "look at me".

Demi was only listening absently as he and Simon exchanged pleasantries, and as Simon whispered something to Kelly.

"I'll be singing "Baby Got Back"." Keith announced, and Simon nodded giving the contestant the floor.

The minute the beat of the rap song started Demi began to sing and as the audition progressed she began to dance, first in her seat with the occasional little butt wiggle then she had gotten out of her chair altogether and just went with it.

She supposed Kelly and Paulina had had the same idea because they were dancing too, Kelly was even trying to get Simon to join in on the fun who was still sitting in his chair protesting shaking his head, but he was laughing, a sound Demi didn't hear very often.

Finally Kelly managed to pull Simon out of his chair and he was making a halfhearted attempt to go along with their crazy dance moves but before he sank back down into his chair again, still laughing and still shaking his head.

Demi wasn't having it though, if there was one thing she wanted to do before the Keith finished his audition it was mess with Simon, if only a little bit. She was still dancing like crazy her hips and butt shaking to the music enjoying the look on Simon's face immensely. Simon, who was still trying to push her away and giving her the "you're crazy" look he often gave her when she did something over the top.

Today was no exception however, and while Demi was still enthusiastically jamming out to the hook of the song, hips swaying and booty shaking, (she had the curves to pull it off) everything ending up right in Simon's face! It was sexy and sassy, and at this point in her career Demi didn't care, she didn't care what was going to be blowing up Twitter in a few hours, and she didn't care that her leather jacket she had been wearing over the dress had slid off one shoulder revealing a fair amount of bare skin, which would raise a few more eyebrows, if only in amusement. Kelly, who was standing in front of her, gave a yelp of surprise and then burst out laughing again, but whether it was at what Demi was doing or Simon's facial expression she didn't know.

It took everybody a few minutes to wind down even after the audition had come to an end, the girls were still laughing, both at each other and at Simon, and Simon seem to have been laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath as he spoke into his microphone again his voice still laced with amusement.

"You three," his eyes found Demi's at the end of the table, "have all gone crazy!" This only set off Kelly, Demi and Paulina off again and they all were laughing at each other for a few more minutes before any of them could catch their breath to obviously give the contestant the "yes" he so desperately wanted.


	4. The Lady Brat

Following the last of the auditions, before the first round of cuts later that night Simon and Demi returned to the hotel. Demi would have just enough time to change clothes before they went out again and she changed from her cute little sundress she had been wearing earlier to an outfit in all black with her trademark 4 to 5 inch heels.

She only regretted her choice in footwear as she and Simon were coming down the stairs from the eleventh floor. Demi was a pro in heels, she had been wearing them since she was fifteen, but when it came to negotiating stairs it was better to hold onto something because like it or not she wasn't the most coordinated person.

Simon offered his hand, which she took without question and stepping carefully they made their way down the stairs, Demi's heels tapping on the linoleum as they descended into the lobby below. As she stepped from the last stair she realized Simon was still holding her hand, which she didn't mind, in fact she preferred it to falling flat on her face thanks to one wrong misstep.

"Thanks for that." Demi replied carefully.

Simon smiled as they walked out of the hotel.

The media would make her relationship with Simon something that it wasn't, Demi knew that, but they had a chemistry she couldn't explain and when they were live on camera world better look out! The producers would do anything to boost the ratings, even if that meant listening to her and Simon bicker for an hour, but Demi wouldn't trade that for anything in the world she loved what she did and who she did it with.


End file.
